NEWS RELEASE From New York State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 4, 2021 Contact: Lee Park - 518.474.1010 March 04, 2021
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INSPECTOR GENERAL TAGLIAFIERRO FINDS GOV’T OFFICIALS ACROSS NYS BYPASSED DMV’S OFFICIAL LICENSE PLATE REQUIREMENT FOR TAXPAYER-FUNDED VEHICLES |
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Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro today released the findings of her office’s review of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Political Subdivision Registration and License Plate program, which provides state- and local government entity-operated vehicles with specialized license plates. The Inspector General found that government officials at all levels across the state exploited DMV’s lack of programmatic oversight to bypass restrictions.
Vehicles assigned to a government entity are required to display license plates that include the name of the respective office, with exemptions for the heads of political subdivisions (i.e. mayors, supervisors, district attorneys, county executives, etc.) and law enforcement agencies needing unmarked plates. The program allows the public to readily identify official vehicles and ensure those vehicles are being used in an appropriate manner.
However, the Inspector General’s review found that through lax oversight and inconsistent and confusing instructions, some government officials to able wrongfully circumvent the plate requirement. This misuse made it more difficult for the public to verify that taxpayer-funded vehicles were used for government business only and not abused or misappropriated.
“Clearly identifying taxpayer-funded vehicles with the name of the office to which they belong is an important accountability measure,” said Inspector General Tagliafierro. “My office’s investigation found that local government officials across the state circumvented DMV’s restrictions to obtain unmarked plates, and DMV didn’t adequately ensure the integrity of the program. This potentially left publicly funded vehicles vulnerable to misuse.”
As part of the review, the Inspector General contacted 22 law enforcement agencies that had vehicles displaying unmarked political subdivision license plates and found:
The Inspector General’s review of 1,917 exemptions approved by DMV between January 4 and September 20, 2019, revealed that at least 972 were certified by individuals other than the highest-ranking publicly elected official/highest-level appointed officer.
The Inspector General reviewed DMV’s administration of the political subdivision program from 2014 to the present, including various policy and exemption changes implemented during the period. The review found that DMV:
The Inspector General also reviewed the database DMV relies on to track its political subdivision program and identified numerous deficiencies, including:
To strengthen the political subdivision program and prevent abuse of public assets, the Inspector General recommends that DMV:
Inspector General Tagliafierro recommends that DMV consider transferring the responsibility for the issuance of unmarked license plates for use by police and peace officers from the political subdivision program to the Division of Field Investigation, which has stricter controls in place to ensure a more rigorous review of applicants, curtail abuse, and reduce confusion.
The Inspector General also recommends that DMV consider establishing a hotline, email and/or website to report suspected misuse of a government vehicle operated by a New York State or municipal employee.
During the Inspector General’s review, DMV experienced a change in leadership. In June 2019, Mark J. F. Schroeder was confirmed as the new commissioner of DMV, and in October 2020, Leslie F. Brennan was appointed as DMV’s executive deputy commissioner. DMV, which fully cooperated with the Inspector General’s review and has examined its findings, has agreed to evaluate the oversight of the political subdivision program based on the Inspector General’s recommendations.
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